Inside the New York Yankees clubhouse with MLB.com beat writer Bryan Hoch.

Yankees schedule Jacoby Ellsbury press conference

It must be official. He’s on this funky ’72 Topps-like design! (Credit: @yankees)

The Yankees have crossed the finish line on another one of their big signings this evening, officially announcing that Jacoby Ellsbury will be wearing pinstripes. It’s a seven-year, $153 million deal through the 2020 season with a club option for the 2021 season (and yes, it’s a bit funny seeing those years in print).

There will be a press conference on Dec. 13 at Yankee Stadium. I wondered if they might parade Ellsbury in front of the national media contingent at the Winter Meetings, but we’ll be reassembling in the Bronx instead.

Here’s the official word from the Yanks:

The New York Yankees today announced they have signed outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury to a seven-year contract extending through the 2020 season with a club option for 2021.

Ellsbury, 30, owns a .297 (865-for-2,912) career batting average with 476 runs, 155 doubles, 65 home runs, 314RBI and 241 stolen bases in 715 games over seven Major League seasons, all with the Boston Red Sox (2007-13). Since 2008, he ranks third in the Majors with 232 stolen bases, trailing only Michael Bourn (280) and Rajai Davis (245). His .995 career fielding percentage (1,734 total chances, eight errors) is the best such mark among Major League outfielders since 2007.

In 2013, he batted .298 (172-for-577) with 92 runs, 31 doubles, nine home runs and 53RBI in 134 games. He was caught stealing just four times and led the Majors in stolen bases for the second time in his career (also 2009, 70SB) and the American League for the third time (2008, 50SB). In 16 playoff games, he hit .344 (22-for-64), leading all postseason players in hits and runs (14) en route to winning his second career World Series Championship with Boston (also 2007).

The left-handed batter hit .321 (212-for-660) in 2011, setting career highs in games played (158), runs scored (119), doubles (46), home runs (32) and RBI (105) en route to winning the American League Comeback Player of the Year Award and being ranked second in AL Most Valuable Player Voting. He also won the Silver Slugger and Gold Glove Awards and was selected to the AL All-Star team.

Ellsbury is a .301 (40-for-133) batter with 26 runs, 11 doubles and 17RBI in 38 career postseason games.

A native of Madras, Ore., and believed to be the first-ever Native American of Navajo decent to appear in a Major League game, Ellsbury was originally selected by Boston in the first round (23rd overall) of the 2005 First-Year Player Draft. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, with his first game played for the Yankees in 2014, Ellsbury will become the 218th player to appear in a game for both the Yankees (since 1903) and Red Sox (since 1901).

RE: the claims about Cano, sorry, but we don’t need a team of glory hunters, we need a TEAM – not people who want to go against the greater good for their own selfish ideas. In a standard year would Cano have got his way, yes, but we didn’t need him to be boosting his stats, we needed him to help us win & well, batting him second gave us a chance to do that. Upshot is it doesn’t change anything, he’s gone & we’ll be moving on without him as much as he’s moving on without us – difference being we’ll be moving forward, he won’t be.

Cashman attempted to reach out to Youk about a reject but Youk said no. We seem to be zeroing in on Reynolds. Haven’t heard anything on the Chavez front. Another possibility is Texeira could play 3B if we got a power bat like Morales.

Yankees are getting heavy interest in Gardner, Murphy, Sanchez and Nova. Philly is one team the Yankees are speaking with who are actively shopping Lee and Hamels. That is not likely to happen but it would be nice. The Cubs and Yankees are discussing Gardner + others for Samardjiza but I would rather have him in the bullpen so we need to keep the few chips we have and find a starter.

Joba headed to Arizona
Another starter off the market, Arroyo close. I really hope the Yankees sign another starter soon and not gamble all their chips on Tanaka,
-I am not buying the nonsense Cashman is now saying about Cano. Seriously, what is the different between 175 and 200 or 240 Million?? The only thing I can think is respect? I respect Jeter for his loyalty more for taking less to stay (unless he closes his career in Tampa) or Pettitte for making things right. Cashman has issues, I am almost certain the prior rumors of him going to Seattle will happen also in a year or 2, he loves Seattle.

“•Joel Sherman of the New York Post spoke with one executive whose team is interested in Samardzija and heard that the Cubs are definitely discussing Samardzija trades but the asking price is very high.”

Another name to watch with the Yankees is Cliff Lee. Philly is dangling Lee for a young back of the controllable rotation pitcher. Not sure who the Yankees have in the way of arbitration eligibles Phelps, Nova, Warren. Not sure any would interest them but Banuelos might, Betances might if they didn’t regress last year.

The chances the Phillies would go for Banuelos or Betances are ZILCH and NIL!!!!! He Phillies would be suckers to go for those two. They are two of the bigger busts in the Yankee minor league system. Neither have lived up to expectations, both are injury prone, and both have serious control issues. Their futures are nothing more than middle relievers in the majors. Seriously doubt this team will give up Nova considering how lacking this organization is when it comes to young pitching talent. Phelps and Warren have less of a future so they could possibly be dealt in a trade package for Lee.

Someone is leaking a story that Cano didn’t want to play for Girardi anymore. In part because he wanted to bat 4th or 5th not 2nd.
Reds GM is claiming the Yankees never called on Phillips that was a ploy to get Cano to re-sign.

HA! I knew it the Yanks are trying to unload Ichiro just as I thought. Unloading him makes more sense, it’ insane to pay a 40 yr old who is done as a player to $6.5 million to sit on the bench, especially when his stats were mediocre

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